May 15, 2015

Seth Godin's UDEMY class for freelancers has a series of exercises that are very thought provoking. The first is to answer the question, "What do you want to do?" This is not referring to a job title, but asks the student to consider the activities you want to fill your time.

I've thought about this for about a week now. I've paid attention to what I find myself doing at various times of the day. Given my passion for maximizing my flow experiences, I have determined that my favorite activities consist of

Researching and writing

Connecting the dots (Analyzing processes)

Influencing

Promoting and connecting people

Teaching

Coaching people to new ways of thinking

Photography (capturing moments)

Keeping myself strong and healthy

My favorite subjects to research, analyze, and write are seemingly unrelated on the surface, but at a meta-level are integrally connected. My research in the fire service--especially with the Georgia Smoke Diver program--has presented me with a model of transformational leadership that I believe is transferrable to many other organizations.

Most of my consulting work is in Information Technology (IT). I love the promise of improved well-being that technology brings. However, over the last 35 years I have witnessed the development of systems that ignore the end user and fail to deliver promised productivity and efficiency. Over and over, I run into people who are frustrated with their jobs because of technology (including me, when I have to deal with a terribly designed system). No one should go home at the end of the day feeling frustrated that he or she couldn't get the job done because the technology got in the way. It seems to me that, if the IT world was as outward focused as the fire service is, users of technology would be much happier in their jobs.

More to come...the next question is "Who do you want to change, and how do you want to change them?"

May 03, 2015

I've always been pretty good about reinventing myself. In fact, I have a pretty awesome process for doing that called "Strategic Planning For Your Life". Recently, however, I have felt pretty stuck. I have decided to shake things up a bit.

Along came Seth Godin, an extraordinary author for whom I have an enormous amount of respect. He is offering an amazing online course for freelancers through Udemy (although, I think his lectures and exercises apply to anyone). The price was right, so I signed up.

The course consists of 81 very short (2-3 minutes) lectures and a series of very introspective exercises, which he insists must be done "publicly". In other words, I have to knock down the walls of my comfort zone. I didn't think this would be hard. However, after watching the first 4 lectures and getting to the exercises, I froze! I'm not sure what that's about, but I will be pushing through this block over the next couple of weeks.

January 14, 2015

Pink describes an study at West Point by a group of scholars from the UPENN, West Point, and the University of Michigan. They wanted to know why the attrition rate in the West Point “Beast Barracks” (Cadet Basic Training) was so high. What they found was: “The best predictor of success, the researchers found, was the prospective cadets’ ratings on a noncognitive, non-physical trait known as ‘grit’—defined as ‘perseverance and passion for long-term goals’.”

In other words, success is not dependent on how smart we are or how physically fit or able we are. What we believe shapes what we achieve. People who have long-term goals and who work toward those goals will work on tasks that support or contribute to reaching those long-term goals. They do these tasks even when they don't feel like it and even when those tasks are mundane. They do this because they intuitively understand that mastery comes from repetition and commitment.

There are only 24 hours in the day, but it is the same 24 hours that Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Opra Wiinfrey have. How will you spend those 24 hours? Are you passionately working toward your long-term goals? What is your "grit quotient"?

January 09, 2015

It's that time of year again. A New Year has begun. Everything feels fresh and full of possibility.

This morning I got an email from a good friend, Kit Brown-Hoekstra, asking about exercises for strategic planning. I thought I'd share my response to her in hopes that it helps others.

Whether you are working with yourself, an individual, or a group, begin with how you or they want to be perceived (in the marketplace, by others, by customers, etc.). Begin with an exercise that gets them thinking about overhearing someone talking about them in public. If you are doing this for yourself, imagine your own funeral/wake. What do you or they want people to say about you or them.

Everything else falls out of that desired perception. What do needs to be done to position yourself or themselves so that what is desired is the actual perception.

Next, what do you or they want to accomplish long term (10+ years out for organizations, lifetime for individuals) and what needs to happen in the interim to make that a reality.

Once this structure is in place, you or they can think tactically. Back into the envisioned accomplishments and build projects that support the strategies. The tactics then fall out of the strategies.

If this linear approach doesn't work for you. Draw a picture while asking the same questions.

January 21, 2014

This past weekend I attended another firefighter training class called "Axioms of Leadership." Usually, I attend and observe. This time I was a participant. The program originated with Scott Milsap, an amazing firefighter who dedicated his life to developing competent leaders in the fire service. Scott died of cancer on September 23, 2002, but his presence loomed large at Axioms.

Axioms is hands-on-training (H.O.T.), which incorporates a combination of classroom training and team-based experiential training. The classroom training focuses on the styles of leadership, characteristics of effective leaders, and the importance of having a core set of values by which to live one's life. The class is very reflective (from a personal perspective), but it is also outward-focused in that each team is instructed to identify its collective set of core values.

I won't elaborate on the experiential training portion. That would be a spoiler to future students. However, I will say that this is the portion that, for me, was the game changer. It is PHYSICAL. I was terrified because I have no upper body strength. When Moe Baxter, who runs the program, invited me to attend the training, I told him I didn't think I could do it because of the physical aspects. He told me I didn't have to be strong; I just had to be able to think. What I found was I had to be able to TRUST! (I'll go into this in my next blog.)

I have been a loner my whole life. I understand the concept of teams and work well on them. I have also led teams through many projects and initiatives to successful completion. But it is a whole different thing to entrust your physical well-being to people you do not know. The Axioms team I was in congealed in a matter of minutes. Everyone had a voice; everyone's ideas--including mine--were honored and considered. There was no age or gender bias. The experience was empowering for everyone.

After each axiom, the team reflected on its core values and how they came into play with the exercise. We talked about how we had to adjust the original plan and what we could have done better. This teaches a way of improving without blaming or beating ourselves up for failing.

The "Axioms of Leadership" class showed us how strong we can be when we trust ourselves and others to do good work. My firefighters continue to inspire me at a level for which I have no words. Axioms served to help me identify and commit to what I now know is my life's work: To articulate the example of the exemplars of the fire service and their way of being with the hope of passing along their inspirational model to the non-firefighting world.

December 26, 2013

The last year of my dad's life, my sisters, Joan and Margaret, alternated weeks caring for him, so that he could stay at home. I would drive to VA once a month to give them a break for a week. We kept a daily journal which started out as a record of his medications and changes in routine. We did this so that we would remember to tell the next sister of changes. However, the journal evolved into a record of who came to visit, events that happened during each day, and our own feelings. The only time we had to write in this journal was the early morning. We each rose early each day, around 6:00 a.m. Daddy would get up around 8:30 a.m. We would write until Daddy got up, because, after that, our time was not our own. We called the period between 6:00 and 8:30 a.m. our Blessed Time.

I used this same segmentation of time when I wrote my dissertation. I wrote early in the morning--religiously. Nothing got in the way of the writing. I was motivated and committed. My daily schedule reflected that commitment. My schedule was tight and I accomplished each task efficiently, thereby maximizing my writing time.

But lately, my writing isn't getting done. There is no one to blame but me. When each day ends, I realize that I have lost time somehow and feel just lousy about it. It has put me in a foul mood.

However, yesterday, I discovered a wonderful blog about "The Daily Routines of Famous Writers" on Brain Pickings. Here, I saw this quote by Don DeLillo: "A writer takes earnest measures to secure his solitude and then finds endless ways to squander it." Eureka! That's what has happened. I search for ways to keep from writing. I work on multiple billable projects (in terror of not having any money). I volunteer. I get on Facebook. I watch every series on Netflix that is available. I watch movies. And, then, the day is over and I haven't written a word toward my book or the articles I want to publish.

Last night I went to see the wonderful new movie by Ben Stiller, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". What an inspiring movie! I've recommitted to reclaiming my "Blessed Time," not just because we are on the cusp of a new year, but because that is where my joy is.

October 14, 2013

On Wednesday, October 30, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. EST, I will present a webinar on how to establish and sustain a flow-based work environment by using a service-oriented approach to management.

You may ask, what is a flow-based work environment? People who work in this type of environment love their jobs. They have purpose. Their talents are honed and positively exploited for the good of the individual, as well as the organization. They are listened to and honored as collaborative members of the team by all levels of the organization. Individuals and teams make decisions quickly and effectively, and they usually make the right decision. There is no blame if things go wrong; there is discussion about the lessons learned, which are shared with all members of all the teams. Fear of reprimand is non-existent, because all members’ points of view and choices in a given moment are honored and recognized as the best one could make given the information available at the time.

Does this sound too good to be true? This model actually exists. There is no reason in the world why it cannot be duplicated in any organization. What it takes is a combination of servant-leadership and service-oriented management.

Traditionally, the role of “leader” is future-based. That is, the leader sets the vision and communicates it to the organization, who then implements the vision. The role of “manager” is based in the “now.” The manager is interested in making sure that today’s work is completed. The service-oriented manager is still interested in getting the work done, but he or she is also acutely aware of the fact that people are the ones doing the work. If people do not have the appropriate infrastructure or tools, if they are not receiving clarifying communication, if they are not honored for their intellect or ideas, if they are not working where their talents are best used, they will not get the work done completely and efficiently.

In the course of completing my doctoral studies, where I investigated flow-based decision making in the fire service, I came in contact with an amazing organization called “Georgia Smoke Divers” (GSD). This organization practices both servant leadership and service-oriented management. GSD has been around since 1978. It is an extreme, experiential training program for firefighters, whose sole mission is to savelives. Foundational to the success of this organization is the idea of total commitment to the program, as evidenced by the number of graduates who return to become instructors—and they do it for free twice a year.

Through this webinar, I will articulate the characteristics of the GSD model and discuss how any organization can operate more effectively by adopting a service-oriented approach.

June 06, 2013

The extraordinary compassion of firefighters was demonstrated and came into my conscious through divine intervention yesterday.

As I was walking back from UPENN on Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, one block over--on Market St.--a 4-story building undergoing demolition collapsed, pulling down with it the two adjacent buildings, injuring 13 people and crushing a young woman to death. Throughout the day 125 firefighters combed through the rubble searching for potential victims. I could see the many fire apparatus and ambulances from the building I was working in on Market St. I really wanted to go back and watch the firefighters work, but I didn't want to add to the chaos, so I chose to watch social media feeds instead.

Later, last evening, I was in Di Bruno's on Chestnut getting my dinner, when a man, who was paying for his food, told the checkout clerk that he knew the young woman who was killed in the collapse. He said that he was amazed at how the firefighters stayed in constant contact with the woman's family. He was so grateful to them for their compassion and professionalism.

When these stories float into my consciousness this way, I take it as the Universe gently telling me that I am on the right path in pushing the fire service story out into the world. What a wonderful world it would be if we all lived our lives with the same sense of service and compassion.

April 09, 2013

I am the oldest of six children. Early this morning, just past midnight, my brother, John David, the youngest of us, made his transition. While I'm so very sad this morning, I know that this was a release and a blessing for him.

John was plagued with health problems his whole life. He was born only one of his kidneys was functional and never functioned at 100%. He has had over 30 surgeries in his life, including one where our sister Margaret gave him one of her kidneys. In 2009, his hip needed to be replaced, so he was given a DePuy hip--the one that was later recalled because it throws off cobalt into the blood stream. By the time it was recalled, his good kidney had failed. John was on dialysis. He couldn't get the hip replaced because he didn't have a good kidney; he couldn't get a new kidney because of the defective artificial hip. His health has steadily deteriorated over the past couple of years.

John was always a happy-go-lucky guy with a big smile and an even bigger heart. He was quite the fisherman. I remember the moment fishing became his passion. Daddy had taken John, Mike (my other brother), and me deep-sea fishing. John was very young, 7 or 8. No one was catching anything. I remember the captain whispering something in John's ear. If you have ever been deep-sea fishing, you know, when you deep-sea fish, you have multiple hooks on your line. A few minutes after the captain whispered in his ear, John reeled in his line. There was a fish on each hook. Everyone on the boat was stunned that this little boy caught all those fish. From then on John was a fisherman in his soul. Broadway Elementary School only had one book about fish. John had it perpetually checked out.

John is survived by two little boys, Josh and David, who will miss their daddy terribly. My sisters, Joan and Margaret, have been John's angels for the last couple of years, managing his affairs and being there for him every step of the way. I am so grateful to them for all they did for John.

This is a picture of John at Thanksgiving in 2011. Josh is on his left; David is on his right. Be at peace, dear brother.

January 08, 2013

Back in May 2012, the lovely and talented Andrea Ames asked me if I wanted to see her latest projects. Knowing what a master quilter she is, I said "Yes" with the expectation of seeing some of her amazing quilting designs. This was not to be.

She pulled out a small portfolio-like book and began to show me what appeared to be amazing doodles. She explained to me that these were NOT doodles, but Zentangles. She had been to the Masters class and, in true Andrea-form (Andrea NEVER does anything halfway), she is now teaching this truly remarkable art form.

When I returned to Atlanta after seeing Andrea, I sought out a Zentangle class and am now hooked.

Now, all of you know how goal-driven I am. I preach visioning, goal setting, and having a process to monitor goals. It doesn't matter how you get there, if you don't know where you are going, and all that.

Zentangle is the antithesis of this thinking. It is totally "now" thinking. The "tangle" is created one line at a time in a way that is akin to automatic writing. It is a very meditative (i.e., Zen) process. Often I don't know what the final product is going to be until I'm finished.

Anyone can create Zentangles. You don't have to know how to draw; you just have to push your high school art teacher out of your head. The real beauty in the practice is that there are no mistakes.

I've begun to use Zentangle as a way to wind down at night when it is too early to go to bed, but too late to start another project. It calms the mind and brings order.

If you are interested in checking this out further, go to www.zentangle.com for more information.